The Wisconsin State Treasury is trying to return unclaimed money

Over the past couple of days, I have been contacted by a number of area constituents seeking to confirm the validity of a recent letter they received from my office regarding unclaimed property the Wisconsin State Treasury is holding in their name.

If you were one of the over 7,000 area residents who received such a letter, you may rest assured that this is not a scam – it is a legitimate letter from my office. The Wisconsin State Treasurer’s Office currently holds over $300 million of unclaimed property, and it is my pleasure to assist my constituents in claiming the property that is rightfully theirs.

In 1970, Wisconsin enacted a law to protect unclaimed property and return it to its rightful owners or their heirs. Unclaimed property includes items such as lapsed banking accounts, uncashed dividends, stocks, overpayments, refunds, matured life insurance policies and uncashed death benefit checks. Under current law, property holders such as banks, insurance companies, credit unions and businesses must make an effort to locate the true owner of an unclaimed property. If they are unsuccessful, the holder must report the name and last known address of the owner to the Office of the State Treasurer.

Because Wisconsin is a custodial state, there is no time limit for claim- ing property that the Treasurer’s Office is holding in your name. If you are able to prove ownership or legal rights to the unclaimed funds, the State Treasurer will approve payment to you or your heirs without charge at any time.

As indicated previously, I was happy to notify over 7,000 area residents that the State Treasury is holding property that is rightfully theirs. It is my understanding that many of those individuals have already taken advantage of this information and claimed their funds. If you would like to search the State Treasurer’s unclaimed property database yourself, I would encourage you to visit the following Web site: http://www. statetreasury.wisconsin.gov/ ucpweb/ucpsearch.aspx.

Also, if you would like to learn more about the process of claiming property, you may visit http://www.statetreasury.wisconsin.gov/section.asp?linkid=1381&locid=155 or contact the State Treasurer’s office at (608) 267-7977 or P.O Box 7871, Madison, WI 53707.

It is my belief that our state government already takes enough of our money and I would encourage you to contact the State Treasurer’s office to claim the money that is rightfully yours. It is only a phone call or an e-mail away!

As always, it has been a pleasure communicating with you. Please remember to communicate with me and share your input by calling (888) 295-8750, writing to me at P.O. Box 7882, Madison, WI 53707-7882, or by e-mailing me at Sen.Leibham@legis.wi.gov. You can also logon to the 9th Senate District online office at www.leibhamsenate.com.

It is an honor representing the residents of the 9th District in the state Senate.